Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

How close did I come to drowning?

Options
  • 04-01-2021 6:40pm
    #1
    SeanKulzick
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭


    This situation happened last summer.

    I can't swim. I was alone walking parallel to the shore with the water up to my thighs. I was looking towards the shore admiring the scenery and I wasn't paying attention when I realized the water was high on my chest. I must have inadvertently slowly walked outwards away from the shore. I turned toward the shore and started walking. I must have been on a sand bank because after a few steps I suddenly dropped below the water line.

    I basically jumped up vertically while underwater and flipped myself so I was floating on my back. My head was facing the shore. As I said, I can't swim but I did start kicking with my feet and pushing myself along the water with my hands. I did this for about 20 seconds and stood upright again. As before, I went under the waterline. So I repeated the floating / kicking maneuver again but at the end of it I was still not close enough to the shore and was underwater when I stood up. I did it a third time, same result. I doubt i was actually moving very far each time.

    Maybe it was panic or my general level of unfitness, but I started to loose a lot of energy. So two things to note. I was at a very crowded beach in a very popular area at the height of summer. There were probably a dozen or so people within earshot. Secondly, I am only 5 foot 3 so there were other people close to me who were standing up quite comfortably in the water. As I was starting to loose energy and panic a little, I did consider calling for help as a safety net.

    So for another 20 seconds I tried that floating / kicking thing again. This time when I stood upright, my mouth was below the water but my eyes weren't. So I just continued walking to the shore and all was fine.

    I didn't really think anything of it after that but I was watching a TV show recently where someone drowned and it looked similar.

    Just wondering if you think I actually came close to drowning at that time?


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    AngryHippie
    Registered Users Posts: 2,625 ✭✭✭AngryHippie


    all you had to do was panic and start flapping around and you were in strife.


  • Options
    #3
    DavyD_83
    Registered Users Posts: 1,991 ✭✭✭DavyD_83


    that floating / kicking thing is called swimming. You just need to work on the technique.



  • Options
    #4
    mbarosin
    Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭mbarosin


    Sounds scary. I'm reminded of this which I saw this posted on Twitter recently.

    https://slate.com/technology/2013/06/rescuing-drowning-children-how-to-know-when-someone-is-in-trouble-in-the-water.html



  • Options
    #5
    iwillhtfu
    Registered Users Posts: 6,368 ✭✭✭iwillhtfu


    I can't think of a single person that would inadvertently walk into chest height water without realising, let alone someone that can't swim.

    Regardless of how close you came to drowning which in itself is as odd question, get swimming lessons if you're going to be so careless around water.



  • Options
    #6
    iwillhtfu
    Registered Users Posts: 6,368 ✭✭✭iwillhtfu


    I can't think of a single person that would inadvertently walk into chest height water without realising, let alone someone that can't swim.

    Regardless of how close you came to drowning which in itself is as odd question, get swimming lessons if you're going to be so careless around water.



  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Ash.J.Williams
    Registered Users Posts: 20,929 ✭✭✭✭Ash.J.Williams


    i think i got a bit closer! finally got to shore and passed out on the sand!



  • Options
    #8
    FishOnABike
    Registered Users Posts: 4,376 ✭✭✭FishOnABike


    Very close I'd say. You got lucky. All it would have taken is for the water to have been just a little deeper and your feet fail to reach the bottom once and you could have drowned without anyone else even noticing.

    As the link in mbarosin's post describes drowning is often silent and invisible.

    A few years ago I was sitting in the quayside watching a regatta. I happened to glance around and noticed a child in the water, he went under once, barely bobbed to the surface and went under again. All without making a sound, a splash or struggling in any way. I dived in without even kicking my shoes off. Nobody else noticed until I hit the water. If I hadn't happened to look in that direction in the second or two I did the emergency services would have been looking for a body later.

    Drowning isn't noisy and dramatic, it's a silent killer.



  • Options
    #9
    tenant2b
    Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭tenant2b


    You had a brush with death in my opinion. As other posters have said, drowning is silent and goes unnoticed.

    It sounds like you were near a bank or maybe you walked into a rip and didn't notice.

    Unfortunately I've encountered a few drownings and near drownings over the years. Always something similar to your story OP, either not paying attention, took a chance, or overestimated their abilities.

    Would you consider swimming lessons?



Advertisement